Identifying the opponents of Park Hang-seo and his team at the AFC U23 Championship

The biggest challenge

According to the match schedule, U23 UAE will be the first opponent of Park Hang-seo and his team in the final round of U23 Asia. This is considered a very difficult match for U23 Vietnam because U23 UAE is not easy to play at all.

The representative from West Asia has prepared extremely carefully for the U23 Asian finals this time when continuously playing friendly matches with many strong opponents. Typically against U23 Korea, U23 Saudi Arabia and U23 Uzbekistan - the current champion of the tournament. It can be affirmed with certainty that this is the most difficult opponent for Park Hang-seo and his team.

U23 UAE currently has a very even and quality team. Photo: UAEFA

This is truly the biggest rival of U23 Vietnam in Group D. The fact that they called up 6 players from the national team to participate in the U23 Asian Cup this time shows that U23 UAE has great ambitions. It is important to know that in the last 3 official tournaments, U23 Vietnam lost to their opponents. Lost 1-3 in the 2014 Asian Games, lost 1-2 in the 2016 Asian Games and lost on penalties in the 2018 Asian Games.

However, U23 UAE still has some disadvantages that Park Hang-seo and his team can take advantage of. One notable information is that U23 UAE gathered quite late (only 1 week before the tournament) due to a schedule jam in the National Championship. This U23 UAE generation is not too tall (176.5 cm), shorter than U23 Vietnam (176.8 cm). They are weak in high ball situations. The goal conceded against U23 Uzbekistan was from a set piece situation. This is the strength of U23 Vietnam. It can be seen that in set pieces situations in the match with U23 Korea and U23 Uzbekistan, U23 UAE was not too proactive.

Recent achievements:

- Bronze Medal Asiad 2018

- Quarterfinals of U23 Asia 2016

Tough opponent

For U23 Jordan, their playing style is no different from the national team that played in the ASIAN Cup. Compared to U23 UAE, U23 Jordan is much less flexible between positions. Especially in the position of the central midfielder pair. This is an opportunity for Quang Hai and Hoang Duc to have easier ball deployment situations.

The goal conceded in the first qualifying match of U23 UAE against U23 Kuwait came from a situation of losing the ball in the midfield. At that time, the midfield of U23 UAE handled the ball very clumsily. The interception ability of U23 Jordan was not very good, so U23 Vietnam could completely use "long-distance punches" thanks to the very good finishing ability of the duo Hoang Duc and Quang Hai when playing far from the goal.

A worrying issue for U23 Jordan is that they will be without attacking midfielder Mohammed Abu Zrayq, one of their brightest stars in the AFC U23 Championship this time. But in return, they have the services of midfielder Omar Hani, who plays for APOEL Nicosia - the reigning champions of Cyprus.

U23 Jordan trained very carefully for the U23 Asian Cup this time. Photo: Jordan Football

Besides the weaknesses of U23 Jordan, we cannot fail to mention their strengths. That is the ability to play on the wing very impressively.

The statistics do not lie when the 6 goals that U23 Jordan scored in the qualifying round, 4 of them came from situations arranged on the two wings. Either bringing the ball inside or overlapping and finishing at a narrow angle. The opening goal in the draw with U23 Syria or the goal that sealed the score against U23 Kuwait in the qualifying round is the clearest proof.

Compared to the U23 Asian Cup finals 2 years ago, the quality of the two wingers in U23 Vietnam this time cannot be compared, if not much worse. The possibility of U23 Vietnam being exploited is very high. Don't forget, U23 Vietnam lost quickly to U23 Jordan 1-3 in the U23 Asian Cup finals 4 years ago.

Recent achievements:

- Quarterfinals of U23 Asia 2016

- Bronze Medal U23 Asia 2013

Chance to win points

North Korea U23 is the last opponent of Park Hang-seo and his team in the group stage. Compared to the two opponents from West Asia, North Korea U23 is somewhat weaker. Therefore, the chance of winning all 3 points is very high. However, there is not much information about this team from East Asia. Coach Park Hang-seo himself has also made that clear. However, through the matches in the qualifying round, it can be seen that North Korea U23's playing style is quite simple.

North Korea U23's play was very monotonous and lacked ideas. In addition, North Korea U23 relied heavily on the creativity of midfielder Kim Kum Chol. Most of North Korea U23's attacks went through this player.

North Korea U23 is the weakest but cannot be underestimated. Photo: AFC

In other words, Kim Kum Chol is like a ball transfer station. Therefore, using the methods to stop this midfielder, the chance for U23 Vietnam to control the match is very high. Playing the traditional 4-4-2 with a horizontal midfield also creates many gaps when the formation distance of U23 North Korea has never been well maintained.

In the recent match against U23 Australia, this formation of U23 North Korea was exploited a lot by the team from Oceania. This is an opportunity for Quang Hai or Hoang Duc to use their tactical vision to make the most effective cross-line passes.

In addition, the U23 North Korea team has the second shortest height in the tournament (176.3 cm), so Park Hang-seo and his team can completely take advantage of set pieces to score against this team from East Asia. 2/4 of the goals that U23 North Korea conceded against U23 Australia in the match in mid-November 2019 came from high balls.

The goal conceded in the match against U23 China in September 2019 was also from an aerial situation. Although rated higher, U23 Vietnam needs to be careful. Don’t forget that at Asiad 2010, U23 Vietnam lost to this team with a score of 0-2.

Recent achievements:

- Quarterfinals of U23 Asia 2016

- Quarterfinals of Asiad 2018